As church leaders, of course we struggle with sin and need to repent constantly.
Right?
Yes, of course we do, and I have heard many leaders make a similar confession, even over the lectern at church.
However, simply confessing that you struggle with sin and need to repent regularly is not enough to build the relationships necessary to invite people to come unto Christ.
For example, have you ever heard an addict in recovery speak about their struggle through sin and finding healing through Jesus Christ?
If you haven’t, I implore you to invite an addict to speak in your next sacrament meeting and share their story.
(See the Unashamed Unafraid podcast for examples of these stories.)
As Christians, I don’t think we do our faith community any favors by keeping our sinning quiet.
In an attempt to avoid becoming an oversharer, we generally admit to struggling with sin but find no reason to get into the messiness of it.
Instead, let’s just keep the ward’s focus on your sturdy tie knot and your freshly pressed white shirt.
There’s a mess behind the scenes, but let’s not get into it.
However, inviting people to step into the messiness of your own story as a weak disciple of Jesus Christ makes the invitation to come unto Christ so clear.
If you invite without telling your story, it won’t work.
For example, a few weeks ago, I was asked to speak in church.
I spent 12-15 minutes articulating my life-long struggle with seeking validation and personal worth through titles, callings, and temporal success.
I talked about the childhood struggles that led me to this type of sin and how I have began to learn how to invite Christ into those wounds and offer me healing so that I can overcome sin.
What happened after the sacrament meeting was amazing.
Several members in my ward approached me to tell me how much my story resonates with their story.
One sister asked if she could give me a hug and wept in my arms.
Imagine the opportunity I would have missed by simply stating, “Yes, of course I sin and need repentance” and moving on.
It’s one thing to define sin.
It’s a whole different thing to articulate your sin.
So, here’s a challenge for you:
Work on articulating how you sin, and share it more often (especially publicly).
What you’ll find is more people will be drawn to you as they seek their own repentance and healing.
And most importantly, when you figure out how to articulate your sin, you figure out the best way to let Jesus Christ in to heal the reason you sin.
Sincerely,
Kurt Francom
Executive Director
Leading Saints
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